Who exploits? The trusted one, the dark one, or both?

Abstract

Trust represents one of the most complex phenomena in social settings, in that, while it is necessary for social interactions, it also renders one vulnerable to exploitation. Further, its examination stands at the crossroads of the person-situation debate due to its conceptualisation as a dispositional trait as well as a situational artefact. This study examined the role of dark traits and trust in promoting exploitative choices at the individual and situational levels. In a sample of working managers (Study 1), we hypothesised and investigated the moderating role of trust in the relationship between dark core and exploitation at the trait level. In a sample of prospective managers (Study 2), we examined the situational influence of social distance and reward on the propensity to behave exploitatively using a trust game. The findings revealed a positive moderating role of trust in both studies. Additionally, it was observed that dark core and trust significantly interacted with the inherent reward for defection and social distance to predict exploitation, self-interest, or benevolence across the situations. As managerial trust is essential, our study is relevant considering that dark individuals are increasingly rising in the organizational hierarchy.